Prosecutors in the Ronald Young murder case continued laying the foundation for their case in painstakingly minute detail Thursday, while Young's defense lawyers dangled tantalizing hints about other possible suspects in front of the jury.
Young, 67, is accused of remotely detonating the pipe bomb that killed Tucson businessman Gary Triano, 52, on Nov. 1, 1996.
Three current and former agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms testified about whether they recognized the names of a handful of men, and if the men were ever considered.
Most of the men were simply mentioned by name. One was working with Triano in a Chinese gambling venture and was once considered a "prime" suspect. Two unnamed men were questioned on their way to Chicago, and another was sniffed by a bomb-detecting dog at a U.S.-Mexico port of entry.
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The ATF employees who testified, William Dietz, Mark Martin and Lee Glauvitz, said that each of the men had been excluded as suspects.
Glauvitz told Assistant Pima County Public Defender Joel Feinman there was no evidence to indicate the men were in Tucson at the time of the bombing, and there was no evidence linking them to the bomb components.
All of which is equally true for Young, he conceded.
The agents testified they went to area hardware stores and Radio Shacks, going so far as to subpoena sales records in some cases.
Under defense questioning, the agents acknowledged they were never able to find who manufactured the end cap of the bomb, but they told prosecutor William McCollum they never looked in Aspen, Colo., Yorba Linda, Calif., or Miami - all places where Young has lived.
Investigators found a small piece of nylon within a couple of car lengths of Triano's car. They were later able to match a diamond-shaped design on the fragment to that found on particular duffel bags sold at Wal-Mart stores.
Prosecutors hope to prove Triano's former wife, Pamela Phillips, hired Young to kill Triano.
Defense attorneys contend Young had nothing to do with Triano's death, but they say Young was blackmailing Phillips over intimate matters she had shared with him while they were lovers.
Phillips, who is facing the same charges as Young, was arrested last December in Austria and is awaiting extradition.
The trial is being presided over by Judge Christopher Browning in Pima County Superior Court.
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com
